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Supplement 4 - Citizens of the Imperium ala Book 1

ct distinguishes between "blade" and "dagger", and between "pilot" and "boat pilot", and if I recall correctly between "pistol" and "revolver". perhaps other skills could be so clarified?

IMTU, revolver and pistol are subsumed into "handgun" and "blade" becomes "shortsword." Also, if you have pilot, you have boat pilot as well; I never liked the distinction - to me, if you have training on one you have training on the other, sorta like a fighter pilot could handle a 747 (if with some learning curve).
 
surely a free trader looking to get ahead in the markets would like to have such a retired specialist on its crew?

If they did trade espionage, I suppose, a sort of spec ops approach to Broker advantage.

Otherwise, no FTL radio, should be able to make contact on the ride in from 100D, and not worth extra effort when the basics have to be covered, often with just 4-5 crewmen.

I'd rather put crew salary into higher skill Medics, Stewards, Bribery, Admin and/or Brokers.
 
Well now pirates WOULD have cause to use specialized communications skill for luring prey in, breaking comms codes and listening in to find out what to hijack/intercept/heist, and communicating carefully when Naval pirate hunters are about.

As I said, a very key military/spec ops skill, just not in the same category as Pilot/Navigator/Engineer for common ship use.

As for gravitics, that to me is an overlap skill, having to do with both fixing and using gravitics, like electronics. So, can be used for driving (probably -1 skill compared to grav vehicle/air-raft) or fixing.

Also handy for fixing robots or cargo lifts, in addition to floor plates and vehicles.

My preference actually would be for many of the expanded skill ranges, but compressed like electronics and engineering is.

I like the MgT Persuasion skill for instance, but perhaps it should be rolled in somewhere with Liaison Leader and Carousing, Broker/Legal/Trader is merged, Gun Combat is just Guns, Blade Combat is just Blades, Heavy Weapons and Artillery are the other ground force weapon skills, Deception covers Acting/Forgery/ConArtist/Spy, etc.

Really didn't like the MgT Engineering cascade. Vehicle cascade is a tough one though as a helicopter is really an entirely different creature then an air/raft even though both are vertical, very different principles at work.
 
In my house rules, I've made all related skill uses at half level, round down.
 
I never liked the distinction

I was just pointing out that while ct vastly compresses quite a few skills ("all manner of electronics") it also excessively parses out others (dagger vs blade). so I'm not sure what they mean by "skill bloat" in that regard.

I'd rather put crew salary into higher skill Medics, Stewards, Bribery, Admin and/or Brokers.

higher skills are better, true. but suppose you had a choice between a right-hand-seat with navigation 3 or one with navigation 2 and comms 2? "I can tie into the mining operation traffic, find out if they're telling you the truth about how much that ore costs." "I can tie into that rescue operation traffic, find out who's alive." "I can tell you if that beacon is legitimate or not."

gravitics, that to me is an overlap skill, having to do with both fixing and using gravitics, like electronics. So, can be used for driving (probably -1 skill compared to grav vehicle/air-raft)

the opposite of skill bloat, this is skill conflation. similarly "Liaison Leader and Carousing" have nothing to do with each other, and "Broker/Legal/Trader is merged" is also conflation.
 
In my house rules, I've made all related skill uses at half level, round down.

Doesn't have to be obvious links too.

For instance sensor ops as later versions have it can be electronics, but they can also be navigation or gunnery, as both those disciplines require accurate object size/range/course/velocity data to do their jobs.
 
Figure out campaigns that permit player characters to employ their skills.

Mongoose does allow a certain amount of purpose built characters with it's valedictorian skill bundle.
 
I was just pointing out that while ct vastly compresses quite a few skills ("all manner of electronics") it also excessively parses out others (dagger vs blade). so I'm not sure what they mean by "skill bloat" in that regard.

Just a guess/opinion, likely having players with twice as many skills as typical CT characters, some skills finely defined but a lot making the LBB4+ characters more powerful.

higher skills are better, true. but suppose you had a choice between a right-hand-seat with navigation 3 or one with navigation 2 and comms 2? "I can tie into the mining operation traffic, find out if they're telling you the truth about how much that ore costs." "I can tie into that rescue operation traffic, find out who's alive." "I can tell you if that beacon is legitimate or not."

I'd probably go for your deal of N-2 C-2 rather then N-3, but N-3 is not critical IMO unless there is some premium for timed delivery. I'd rather have Broker-3 then Broker-2/Comms-2, that's serious money week after week.


the opposite of skill bloat, this is skill conflation. similarly "Liaison Leader and Carousing" have nothing to do with each other, and "Broker/Legal/Trader is merged" is also conflation.

Simplification, and it depends very carefully on how you define the skills.

LL&C certainly do have varying forms of persuasion baked in along with knowledge of inducing particular positive reactions/decisions. They are VERY related in what they are for, even if the 'style' is radically different.

Broker/Legal/Trader is all Merchant skill, which would be equal to me to something like Administration skill which is both running huge organizations to get things done AND how to navigate said organizations to one's advantage.
 
N-3 is not critical IMO unless there is some premium for timed delivery.

it's all about being first.

LL&C ... are VERY related in what they are for, even if the 'style' is radically different.

nope, not even close.

I begin to perceive the cause of skill conflation.
 
Figure out campaigns that permit player characters to employ their skills.

bingo.

have a player with small surface craft 2*. I'm thinking, "what am I going to do with that in a space game?" I look at a graphic of the planet, see all that ocean, and think, "what CAN'T I do with that!"
 
IMTU, revolver and pistol are subsumed into "handgun" and "blade" becomes "shortsword." Also, if you have pilot, you have boat pilot as well; I never liked the distinction - to me, if you have training on one you have training on the other, sorta like a fighter pilot could handle a 747 (if with some learning curve).

Could a 747 pilot handle a fighter though? And could either land the other type of aircraft safely?
 
Could a 747 pilot handle a fighter though? And could either land the other type of aircraft safely?

I admit I dont know enough to be definitive. I would limit it to saying that Small Craft skill allows you to also pilot ACS ships but not larger ships.
 
Could a 747 pilot handle a fighter though? And could either land the other type of aircraft safely?

actually, for the 747 a passenger probably could walk into the cockpit and push the "land" button and land the thing.

Your opinion, of course.

and opinions have sources and consequences.
 
I admit I dont know enough to be definitive. I would limit it to saying that Small Craft skill allows you to also pilot ACS ships but not larger ships.

One GM I played with just stripped out the Ships Boat skill and used Pilit fir both, whivh I think Ive adopted.
 
One GM I played with just stripped out the Ships Boat skill and used Pilit fir both

specialization when trained. pilot 2* means level 2 in everything, pilot 2*(hull-size-0 +2) means +2 for boats and -1 for everything else, etc.
 
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It is a bit odd that a scout qualified on 100t type S scout/couriers and x-boats can pilot a dreadnaught while a 95t shuttle 'pilot' can not.

Especially since piloting any of them is probably no more difficult than playing a real world console/PC space sim...
 
Especially since piloting any of them is probably no more difficult than playing a real world console/PC space sim...

well originally traveller spaceship motivation was by fusion rockets, right? so I suppose there's some justification for differentiating piloting a 50dton gig via rockets and piloting a 100,000 dton liner via rockets.
 
It is a bit odd that a scout qualified on 100t type S scout/couriers and x-boats can pilot a dreadnaught while a 95t shuttle 'pilot' can not.

Especially since piloting any of them is probably no more difficult than playing a real world console/PC space sim...

I assume the key underlying skill for Pilot and Ships Boats, isn't stick flying the vessel, but running the jump and maneuver drives.

IMTU, the jumping isn't plot the course, push a button, and relax for a week. I assume it is a complex engineering task (to explain why pilots earn a 50% premium over engineers; their job is more technically demanding) requiring
1) measuring and interpreting data taken from the ongoing jump reaction,
2) simulating the system,
3) making adjustments to the drive operation,
4) repeat over the term of the jump
in order to arrive as intended. I figure quantum effects and parasitics require the reaction be monitored and managed.

Ships Boat skill is also a trained engineer, but their background doesn't go beyond monitoring and managing reactions in small maneuver drives. I'd let Ships Boat skill control a 100dT ship on an intrasystem journey at -1 skill, but never get the vessel into jump.

My model for these guys aren't modern aircraft pilots, rather I assume they have technical smarts like NASA astronauts, with the pilots being the best of the best.

I think you are right though about the Scout to Dreadnought leap though, just in practice it doesn't come up. Maybe Pilot skill should be a cascade skill with different skills for each factor of 10 in tonnage.
 
It is a bit odd that a scout qualified on 100t type S scout/couriers and x-boats can pilot a dreadnaught while a 95t shuttle 'pilot' can not.

Especially since piloting any of them is probably no more difficult than playing a real world console/PC space sim...

I always assumed that there were simply significant differences in the instrumentation.

D.
 
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